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This invention relates generally to enclosures cooled by an airflow.
Electrical equipment such as computer hardware, computer network interfaces, and telecommunications equipment are usually mounted in enclosures to provide the necessary physical security from environmental hazards and to maximize the use of the available space. Although these enclosures may be deployed indoors, the enclosures nonetheless must be generally sealed, for example to protect the electronic equipment from potential hazards, such as a leak in a water pipe, a leak in a roof or broken window allowing water to enter the building, or the activation of a fire suppression water sprinkler system. The electronic equipment contained within the enclosures generates a significant amount of heat that must be removed from the enclosure in order to prevent thermal damage to the electronic equipment.
Prior art solutions to the heat removal problem have included drawing room temperature air into the enclosure through air vents. The cooler room temperature air flows through the enclosure and over and/or through the electronic equipment, cooling it. The heated air is then directed out of the enclosure into the ambient room environment. This airflow may be forced, using fans, or unforced using convection.
Care must be taken in directing the airflow within the enclosure to avoid reusing air that has been heated by a first piece of electronic equipment to cool a second piece of electronic equipment. If this occurs, there will be less effective heat transfer from the second piece of electronic equipment to the cooling airflow. Depending on the characteristics of the piece of electronic equipment and the temperature of the airflow from the first piece of electronic equipment, there may be insufficient heat transfer taking place at the second piece of equipment. This may lead to overheating the second piece of electronic equipment and potential thermal damage.
One prior art solution is to limit an enclosure to contain only a few pieces of heat generating electronic equipment. This leads to the concomitant increase in cabling between a larger number of enclosures, reduces the efficiency of the use of space, and increases the cost of parts, installation, and maintenance. Another prior art solution is to arrange the equipment such that there are dead spaces within the enclosure where equipment cannot be placed due to the trajectory of the cooling airflow. This solution likewise leads to the need for larger enclosures that are heavier and costlier than need be.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an enclosure that provides for an efficient transfer of heat generated by electronic equipment and that allows the space within the enclosure to be efficiently used.
In accordance with the present invention an improved enclosure that provides separate cooling airflows is disclosed. Efficient heat transfer is achieved while an efficient use of space is maintained.
The enclosure includes a three-sided removable cover that is pivotally attached to an L-shaped wall mounting bracket. A main baffle is provided within the interior of the enclosure. The main baffle includes a step portion to ensure a smooth airflow, and in one aspect the main baffle is slanted upwardly toward a side wall of the enclosure. The main baffle separates the interior into first and second compartments. In addition, the main baffle isolates first and second airflows in each compartment from one another. Each airflow enters the respective compartment of the enclosure via air intake vents, removes heat from equipment that is contained in the compartment and exits the compartment via air output vents.
In one aspect of the invention, the second airflow may be generated by a plurality of fans drawing air through a plurality of air intake vents. The forced airflow removes heat from the equipment contained within the second compartment and is redirected by the main baffle to an air duct that provides an exit for the heated air from the second compartment of the enclosure via air output vents.
In another aspect of the invention, the convection of air heated by the equipment in the second compartment of the enclosure provides the driving force for air movement. In this aspect, air enters the second compartment of the enclosure via air intake vents and removes heat from the equipment in the second compartment. The airflow is redirected by the main baffle to an air duct which directs the trajectory of the heated air to an air output vent.
In another aspect of the invention, a secondary baffle is included in the first compartment to split the first airflow into third and fourth airflows. The secondary baffle includes a step portion to provide a smooth airflow across the secondary baffle.
In another aspect of the invention in which the first and second compartments are vertically oriented with respect to one another, the air duct is a chimney that includes a flue portion, a buffer portion, and an exit opening. The buffer portion provides an increased draft through the chimney.
Additional aspects, features and advantages of the present invention are also described in the following Detailed Description.